Steering-gear connection for motor-vehicles.



U. A. TOWLE. STEERING GEAR GONNEOTION FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLIGATIQN FILED JULY 14, 1913.

.Wttnesses.

Inventor;

Patented Jan.'13, 1914. i

rrn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

URBAN A. TOWLE, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.-

STEERING-GEAR CONNETION FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

Application filed July 14, 1913. Serial No. 778,866.

nectiflg rod carrying a ball, a ball being also carried by the lower end of the steering post arm. These two balls are united by a 'steering gear connecting rod by which the motion of the steering post is transmitted to the steering spindle connecting rod and is thence transmitted to the steering knuckles. This steering gear connecting rod has on each end a fixed half socket in which is seated one of said balls and as these connections have hitherto been made, the other half of the socket was formed by a similar half socket bolted to the fixed half socket to form the usual ball and socket joint connection. In practice it is found that the wear of these ball and socket joints causes them to rattle and requires frequent adjustment. v

The object of my invention is to provide a simple device to take up the wear between the sockets and balls in a steering gear of the type shown and to allow of easy steering under all conditions. This I accomplish by connecting the steering post" arm to the connecting rod ball by means of a rod and two spring sockets so placed as to oppose each other.

Another object, and the most important, is the providing of a rigid drive from the steering post arm to the wheels in a direction tending to turn the car toward the left.

It is well known that automobiles have a tendency to run off the road to the right and consequently a constant presspre must beexerted to bring them back on the road. This could not be accomplished by placing springs upon both sides of the ball connections as it would result in a constant wabble of the front wheels and a consequent rapid Wear on the tires.- By my arrangement I have provided a means whereby the car .can be easily and positively steered and at the same time I have provided against wear which result-sin rattling and also against the wear upon the tires. J

By this simple substitution of a spring socket for a rigid socket I prevent the rattling of the joint and at the same time provide yielding connection with the steering post.

means of the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the steering mechanism of a Ford car with my device applied thereto. view of invention partly in elevation and partly in section taken on the line Y-Y of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the construction between the steering post and socket, looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 0; represents the axle, b b is the radius rod, 0 is one of the which connects the steering knuckles, only by the connecting rod 0, e is the lower end ball 6, dis the steering gear connecting rod having on its ends the fixed half sockets g and g each of these half sockets partially inclosing one of the balls 0 and e.

I complete the ball and socket joint at each end of the connecting rod at ,by bolting to the half socket g and to the half socket g a special removable half socket f which contains a plunger 9' formed and located to bear against the surface of the ball, the plunger being forced inward by a helical spring h. The plunger j has a shank j which fits inside the spring and an adjusting screw plug '5 is-screwed into the outer end of the half socket to regulate the tension of the spring and compensate for the wear of the plunger.

The half socket f is secured to the half sockets g and g by the same bolts f which secured the old half socket referred to, so

tion to a Ford machine is to take off the old rigid sockets and put my spring sockets on with the same screws. A cotter pin i exthe ball so that the entire bearing on that side will be taken by the spring pressed plunger. Y By the application of -my spring half My invention may best be understood by Fig. 2is a detail that all that is required to apply my invensteering knuckles, o is the connecting rod one of which is shown, 0 is a ball carried of the steering post arm terminating in a tends through the plug 71 to prevent it from turning. In fitting the half socket f a little play is left between the socket proper and sockets the joints are not only kept conwhich renders steerlng much easier than with a rigid connection, particularly on rough roads. V

In a motor vehicle of the character described, the combination of a steering post arm having a ball on its end, a air of steering knuckles, a conneotin ro connecting said knuckles, a ball earned by said connecting rod, a steering gear connecting rod having at each end a fixed half socket, a removable half socket secured to each of said 15 fixed half sockets, each fixed half socket and its corresponding removable half socket forming a complete socket embracing one of said balls and a spring pressed plunger within each of said removable half sockets 20 URBAN A. TOWLE. Witnesses S. W. BATES, C. B. CREIGHTON. 

